On any individual mission, LASP may have one or more roles: science direction and research, engineering of an individual instrument or component, engineering of an entire instrument suite, mission operations of individual instruments, or mission operations for the spacecraft as a whole. In addition, CU undergraduate and graduate students are involved in many of these roles. Sometimes, student teams lead instrument development and engineering under the supervision of professionals.

Below, we highlight the role of LASP Engineering on a small selection of missions. For a full listing, please see Mission Project & History.

Extreme Ultraviolet Variability Experiment (EVE)

LASP built this instrument, one of three aboard the Solar Dynamics Observatory mission, in our on-site facilities. More information

Total Irradiance Monitor (TIM)

The LASP-built Total Irradiance Monitor, which flies aboard the SORCE and TCTE spacecraft, addresses scientific questions about the role of solar irradiance on Earth’s long-term climate. More Information

The Student Dust Counter

The Student Dust Counter, built by LASP students under the supervision of professional personnel, is the first student-built instrument ever to fly on a NASA planetary mission. The NASA New Horizons mission to Pluto and beyond launched in 2006 and is slated to end in 2020. The student team continues to evolve to accommodate new students as the mission unfolds. More information